Psychiatric Disorder and Personality Factors Associated With Suicide in Older People: a Descriptive and Case-Control Study

The rates of psychiatric disorder & personality variables were measured in a sample of older people who had committed suicide. Rates in a subgroup of this sample were compared with those in a control group of people who had died from natural causes. A descriptive psychological autopsy study was done of 100 suicides among older people. A case-control study using a subgroup of 54 cases & a matched control group was also done. 77% of the suicide sample had a psychiatric disorder at the time of death, most often depression. Personality disorders or personality trait accentuation was present in 44% with anankastic or anxious traits the most frequent. Depression, personality disorder, & personality trait accentuation emerged as predictors of suicide in the case-control analysis. (33 refs.)